The U.S. thwarted a bomb plot by al Qaeda's Yemeni branch aimed at bringing down a jetliner with a more advanced version of an underwear bomb used in a failed 2009 Christmas Day attempt, officials said Monday.

The Central Intelligence Agency, working with foreign security services, was able to seize the bombwhich they believed was intended for a U.S.-bound flightbefore the would-be suicide bomber was able to move ahead with his plot, officials said. Because the plot was headed off in its early stages, officials said the effort never represented a threat to Americans or to U.S. allies, nor did airlines face a direct threat.

The bomb was "viable," a senior U.S. counterterrorism official said. The official added that it probably would have gone off but it did have some flaws that may have impacted its ability to detonate properly. The Federal Bureau of Investigation now has the bomb and is analyzing its makeup. The agency hopes to better understand tactics being employed by the al Qaeda affiliate that U.S. officials say poses the greatest danger to the U.S.

The CIA thwarted a plot by al Qaeda to bomb a U.S.-bound plane last week around the one-year anniversary of the death of Osama bin Laden. Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta refused to comment on the specifics of the operation, but said the U.S. must remain vigilant in the face of terror.

It wasn't clear late Monday whether federal authorities had the alleged plotter in custody and U.S. officials wouldn't say whether the suspect is still alive.

A senior administration official suggested that intelligence gathered during the investigation helped lead to what Yemeni officials have described as an apparent U.S. drone strike Sunday that killed a top al Qaeda operative, Fahd al-Quso.

It’s started already. According to our local news, a TSA spokesman has already said that this type of bomb would not have been detected by someone simply going through a scanner and that TSA is looking into other methods of detection. Two years ago I decided that unless it is a dire emergency if I can’t drive I just won’t go. Probably what BO really wants anyway.

11
posted on 05/07/2012 11:07:51 PM PDT
by Grams A
(The Sun will rise in the East in the morning and God is still on his throne.)

I’m sure they have a bunch of these “plots” on ice just waiting for the most opportune times for press release up through the election just so people stop believing Obama hates this country and the white people that live in it.

I was cynical enough when Bush was in office; this guy is 100 times worse.

Was listening to Quinn & Rose. An audio clip was played, which said the WH is being very vague about when Obama first heard of the plot, and also that the “bomb” was not a threat to anyone. The questions was asked: what kind of bomb is not a threat to anyone? VERY odd.

In today's world, the CIA made the body bomb, gave it to the terrorists, and then watched over them as they figured out a way to use it against us, “catching” them just before they boarded a plane.... Just so Obama can say “ I am protecting America”

The dark lord would not lead us astray now would he? I thought the Overseas Contingency Operation was successful and we are now terror free.

Never, ever, give government power not described in detail by the US Constitution and the Federalist Papers as once given to them they will never relinquish it.

Electing this POS has proved once and for all diversity will be our demise and certainly not our strength. You cannot add millions of weak minds in some cases from countries with no knowledge of flush toilets and expect the country to advance.

It is like introducing weeds into a garden and expecting the garden to do better. We need some serious weeding out of our diversity.

It is easy to declare a victory on what you control behind the scenes. The war is just a play carried out by stupid people who fall for Satan's game. The strings of the puppets are showing. Look closely.

What if that “underwear bomb” was created by the same guy that created the fake birth certificate? I don’t think it’s real. And I think a lot of fake BS is in the wings being readied to scare stupid people into voting for this communist. This is just the first of many fakes that will be exposed but unable to be vetted.

As it turns out this story is false- it's not a CIA op it was a british & Saudi op involving a Yemeni man with dual citizenship. The WH apparently leaked it shortly after the Brits informmed the US and the agent barely got out of Yemen in time.

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